#High-deductible health plans

[maria3088]

The HSA, HRA and FSA – which is right for you?

Navigating the differences between Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs), and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) can be challenging, but each offers unique tax advantages for managing healthcare costs. HSAs are individually owned and must be paired with high-deductible health plans, allowing tax-free growth and rollover of unused funds. HRAs are employer-funded and reimburse employees for qualifying medical expenses, while FSAs let employees set aside pre-tax money for healthcare expenses but may have a "use it or lose it" policy.

[keepingthepeaceinouterspace]

I miss when I was able to get good health insurance that wasn't just stupid

[worldfinancesystemma1]

World Finance System

Website: worldfinancesystem.blogspot.com

Address: 4516 Tenmile Road Needham, MA 02192

Phone: 720-474-9464

Lucy Matoke - HealthMarkets Insurance is located in Fort Worth TX and is dedicated to providing quality services of High Deductible Health Plan Fort Worth TX ,Health Savings Account Fort Worth TX ,Medicare Insurance Fort Worth TX ,Medicaid Insurance Services Fort Worth TX ,Premium Insurance Fort Worth TX ,Copayment Insurance Fort Worth TX . Call us today at (817) 724-7350. We can help! We look forward to hearing from you.

Business Email: info@coonchickenma.com

[healthcare-trends]

2 Reasons an HDHP May Not Be the Best Option for You

High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) are a type of health insurance plan that helps you save on monthly premium costs. When you compare an HDHP vs PPO or other health plan, your monthly premium bill will be much more affordable. But there are several disadvantages to consider.

There are many benefits to getting an HDHP, including the ability to open a health savings account (HSA). But is an HDHP right for you? Here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider.

You Can't Afford Higher Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Despite all the perks of having an HDHP, one significant tradeoff exists. That's the higher deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.

Your deductible is how much you'll have to pay before your health insurance coverage takes over. You must pay 100 percent of healthcare costs before coverage kicks in. Depending on your plan, you may have to cover copays or coinsurance until you reach the out-of-pocket maximum.

The out-of-pocket maximum is the total amount you'll have to pay for covered healthcare services annually. Once you meet that, your health insurance will take care of the rest. In the fight between HDHP vs PPO, the former typically has a higher deductible, but that out-of-pocket max protects you from significantly higher expenses. For 2024, the out-of-pocket maximums for an HDHP can't exceed $8,050 for individuals or $16,100 for families.

If you're unable to cover your deductible, you may want to reconsider getting an HDHP.

You'll Need Substantial Medical Care

If you think you'll need considerable healthcare services throughout the year, exploring other plan options may be a better choice. HDHPs are often the go-to for people who are young and relatively healthy. They're a fantastic way to save on monthly premiums when you don't think you'll need much medical care.

The coverage is still there if needed, but you're not paying high premiums to get it. If you don't fall into that category, getting a plan that focuses on lower deductibles with better coverage over more affordable premiums may be better.

Read a similar article about 2024 contribution limits for FSA here at this page.

[alvisanders]

The Pros Of High-Deductible Health Insurance Plans

High-deductible health insurance plans in PA offer lower premiums, making them cost-effective for healthier individuals. They often come with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), allowing tax-free contributions for medical expenses. These plans promote consumer engagement by requiring higher out-of-pocket spending, potentially reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization. They can be suitable for those seeking lower monthly costs and are willing to manage higher upfront deductibles.

[health-investment]

What Are Cobra Benefits?

Having health insurance is important. Making sure your insurance doesn’t lapse is important too. In the instance, your health insurance lapses, you could suffer several injuries or issues that could end up costing you thousands of dollars. To help prevent this, COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) helps employees who lose their benefits to continue their benefits for a limited period. This can help workers and their families greatly. Let’s take a look at some of the COBRA insurance benefits and what that could mean to you and your family.

COBRA Insurance Benefits

One of the main COBRA benefits is the provision of health benefits in the instance an employee involuntarily loses their job, has their hours reduced, goes through a divorce, transitions to another job, or experiences a change in other major life events. It should be noted that employees may need to pay their entire premium and possibly up to 102 percent of costs associated with their plan. However, this is better than not being covered at all. COBRA provides all the necessary information to allow workers and their family to elect their continuation coverage.

In Addition to COBRA

Health savings accounts work with COBRA to save you additional money on your healthcare needs. HSAs are owned by the employee. After termination, an employee can still use their account balance to pay for healthcare expenses.

Set Up an HSA Today

Healthcare can be expensive, and you don’t want to be without coverage in the instance you suffer an injury or illness. In the event you lose your job or need other forms of safeguarding, an existing HSA can help you greatly. You don’t want to leave your healthcare needs to change. Contact Lively today to enroll in an HSA.

Read a similar article about healthcare and taxes here at this page.

[femmefatalevibe]

Any tips on saving money?

Track your income/expenses. Knowing your monthly cash flow + essential and discretionary spending is the only sound starting point toward setting your financial goals.

Evaluate your non-essential spending habits. Consider where this money is going, and whether these expenses add value/are necessary to your life (pleasure or peace of mind is an acceptable "necessity" if you're living within your means to be clear!).

Determine the money you have left over after you cover your essential expenses and most fulfill discretionary expenses. This amount is your "saving/investment" money.

Divide your leftover amount into 3 categories: Emergency fund, goal-oriented savings (like buying a desired luxury item/furniture, a down payment on a house, a vacation, etc.), and investments.

Put your savings in a high-yield savings account. If possible, have different accounts for each purpose, especially your emergency fund and savings for future purposes. You can also get a CD for a long-term savings goal.

Put your investments (in the USA at least) in the following buckets: Roth IRA (max it out), ALWAYS take your employer's full 401k match, HSA (if you have a high-deductible health insurance plan), and S&P 500 index funds/other evergreen mutual funds + blue-chip stocks.

Purchase fewer, higher-quality items. Know the sales seasons for each product category and shop around this calendar (down to the produce items in season). If possible, rent items when it makes sense.

Only say "yes" to plans/financial obligations that add value/pleasure to your life. Don't let yourself feel shortchanged financially or emotionally. It's never worth it, honestly.

Invest in your physical, mental, and financial health first. This can mean something different for everyone but it's important!

**I'm not a professional, just another young woman on the internet, so please take this advice accordingly. Please meet with a financial advisor/CPA for formal advice and personal financial planning.

Hope this helps xx

[askoverlordvox]

VoxTek™ Employment Contract

I, @helluvahotelfan , invoke the infernal powers of Hell to complete the following contract between myself and the Overlord, Vox. Hereafter, "the employee" will refer to Jenn, "the employer" will refer to VoxTek™, "the Overlord" will refer to Vox, and "the contract" will refer to this agreement, signed and sealed by a handshake.

Payment: to complete this contract, the employee signs over possession of their soul to the Overlord. For as long as the soul remains in the Overlord's possession, the terms and conditions of this contract are considered valid. Additionally, the Overlord cannot kill or willfully maim or harm the employee while this contract is in effect.

Terms: The employer will provide housing(1), a competitive(2) salary, the latest(3) model of Hellphone, insurance (4), two weeks of paid training, 30 vacation days per year (5), 30 days of sick leave per year (6), a free upgrade to replace or enhance a body part(7), a 200 year(8) retirement plan, and 24/7 protection from reasonable(9) threats. The employee will fulfill the job description provided below to the best of their ability.

Conditions: This contract remains in effect provided both the employee and the Overlord wish to continue adhering to the terms. At any time, either party may request breaking the contract. The request must be accepted by the Overlord. The Overlord reserves the right to change the job assigned to the employee in the event of subpar performance.

Job Title: Junior Data Collector

Department: Research & Development

Job Scope: Junior Data Collectors follow instructions from Senior Data Collectors and report to Project Leads all data obtained throughout marketing, testing, and further analysis. Data Collectors observe tests, trends, and other indicated measurements at the direction of Project Leads and record data as instructed by Project Leads. Data Collectors are expected to report accurate figures. Data Collectors may, on occasion, be asked to participate directly in Projects but never to the extent Hazard Pay would be required. Any injuries incurred as a result of Data Collection are to be reported immediately to the Project Lead.

Hours: Mandated work hours are 1000-1600, Monday-Thursday unless Project Leads get approved for a different work cycle.

(1) Housing starts at one bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen and washer/dryer included 550 square foot apartment. Housing can be upgraded through promotion or by registering dependents with Human Resources. (2) Competitive rates based on job title and relative cost-of-living analysis for Pride ring standards. Salary will always be 400% of current housing cost. (3) Latest model refers to latest model to pass all safety checks and either is commercially available or in phase 4 of production. (4) Insurance covers health, vision, and dental plans, as well as maternity/paternity leave, Family Medical Leave Allocation, and associated costs. (5) Unused vacation days roll over but will not exceed 75 days. Vacation days accrued past 75 days will either be paid out to the employee in a lump sum, signed over to another employee, or forfeit. Decision must be made within 1 month of employment anniversary date. (6) Unused sick leave rolls over but will not exceed 60 days. Illness or injury requiring more than 60 days to recover but at no fault of the employer will be deducted from vacation days. Illness or injury incurred during the execution of job duties will not be charged to the employee. (7) Available upgrades subject to change depending on demand. Specific upgrade offered: replacement of one eye with a VokTek™ High Definition digital recorder. Any data or information recorded by an upgrade becomes property of the employer with employee consent. (8) 200 year retirement plan based on projected life expectancy increase following the cessation of Exterminations. In the event Exterminations resume, this requirement will be lowered to 50 years. (9) Reasonable threats are those not provoked by the employee, provided the employee remains within designated areas when directed by senior personnel. Ex: leaving the approved VoxTek™ Extermination Bunker during an Extermination or insulting an Overlord/Sin/Ars Goetia are examples where the employer is no longer liable for the employee's protection.

Signed and confirmed via handshake with the Overlord,

Jenn

It took me a moment to find it, I apologize; you wouldn't believe how many copies I have in my office. Of course I have a digitized copy but Hell runs on old school methodologies, so having a hard copy is still required.

Now, @zayne1, you can make your determinations.

[ectafoole]

I need y'all to understand something about US health care: providers WILL NOT tell you how much an appointment or procedure costs prior to authorizing payment from your insurance. You could be about to pay a hundred dollars or a thousand and you will not know in advance.

Some providers can give you a "good faith estimate" by mail (never! over! the phone!) but it's not guaranteed to be accurate and they'll always tell you to contact your insurance.

I currently have a high-deductible plan, so we've been paying out of pocket for my ADHD testing. I have a psychiatrist telehealth appointment to talk about medication to treat it. They will not tell me how much that appointment will cost, even if I am paying out of pocket. I know it will be several hundred dollars, but how many hundred? It's a mystery.

USA! USA! USA!

[livwritesstuff]

So I’ve made a few references to Steve being an Excel guy as an adult (because someone had to be in charge of Steve and Eddie’s money and it certainly wasn’t going to be Eddie).

He’s got the classic spreadsheets – monthly budget, college savings projections, income tracking because he and Eddie both work jobs with variable incomes (Steve is a counselor and Eddie is an author), the whole nine yards.

Steve also has some “extracurricular” spreadsheets. I’ve talked about how Steve has a spreadsheet tracking the combinations of Mario Kart racers/vehicles he tries out (there’s a ranking system involved, it’s very complex). He’s got one for his fantasy football league, obviously, and he and Moe put money on their March Madness brackets so there’s a spreadsheet for that too.

Eddie’s personal favorite is the one comparing monthly expenses by kid, which isn’t exactly a necessary metric per se, but from it stems a game Steve and Eddie secretly play: who is the most expensive Harrington daughter?

The winner tends to rotate throughout the year, but Hazel is usually their least expensive child in the long run. She does ballet, which isn’t too bad when she’s little but then she graduates to pointe shoes, and Steve had no idea that not only do pointe shoes set you back $100 minimum, they also wear out ridiculously fast, and, as he’s been told many times, you can’t wear the dead ones.

Moe usually takes that top spot in the winter – elite basketball teams aren’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, and then in high school she gets into snowboarding, which is somehow even more expensive. She’s also consistently the reason they hit their health insurance deductible every year. 

Robbie is their overall most expensive kid by a mile. She drove up their car insurance by getting into an accident a month after she got her driver's license, had braces for five years, and the prescription on her glasses has changed every eighteen months since she was seven. She’s notorious for breaking her phone, so she racks up quite a tab in that regard too (the one year they got a protection plan was also the one year she had no phone-related incidents, so they didn’t even bother renewing it – they just make her suffer with a cracked screen for a few months before they finally drag her to the mall to get it fixed). There’s also the year Eddie bought her an electric violin which was, naturally, not cheap (Eddie argues it shouldn’t count because he was the brains behind that operation).

[sputnikcentury]

If your employer offers you the choice between a high deductible use only in emergencies health plan and literally any other kind of standard plan, take the standard plan.

Your employer will give you all kinds of incentives to take the high deductible plan. They will offer you HSAs that can be rolled into your 401k. This is a trap. Take the actual health insurance.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

What is it gonna take for HYBE to give Jimin the support he deserves? Will it ever even happen? Because I'm tired of feeling so miserable all the time. I even wanna delete all my socials and just find something else in my life to fixate on. I feel terrible for feeling this way because it's like I'm abandoning Jimin (even if I'll still be streaming his music). I'm tired of all of this, it's not good for my mental health at all.

All this corruption and evil simply can't keep winning like this, can it? Are we just supposed to make peace with JK being BTS' "break out star"? Really? I naïvely thought that they'd abandon their sinister plans after seeing how poorly he's been performing in comparison to the crazy amount of push they've been giving him. What the hell is going on at that company?

Anon,

I'm sharing with you this poor quality video of Michael Jackson calling out Tommy Mottola and Sony because it's worth remembering that record labels using and abusing their artists is the rule, not the exception. Not even The King of Pop was immune.

At around 3:20, MJ mentions that he "owes" the label two more songs and then he's a free agent. He says he writes about 120 songs per album, so he'll just pick two songs he's got hanging around and then he's done.

I bring this up because I suspect Jimin might be doing something similar. Having as few solo songs under Big Hit as possible is smart, because he likely won't own the rights to his own music if/when he leaves. The less they own, the better. Writing and recording two albums at once was efficient. Also, by keeping his marketing budget (ads, playlist placement, music videos, etc.) as small as possible, he'll keep more of the album sales and streaming revenue. All those expensive marketing costs are deducted from an artist's earnings, so best to keep them at a minimum if the plan is to make the most money possible. Between the writing credits, lower marketing budget, and the high profile brand ambassador deals Jimin's got, I feel like he's positioning himself to create his own company or label. This is my hope even if I have zero proof.

The way FACE went down really bothered me. I knew the company was behind Jimin's sabotage immediately and it drove me crazy that it took so long for others to catch up. But look at the response to MUSE. Jimin really does have an army of dedicated fans who are calling out the company's (intentional) incompetence 24/7. In reality, it's fun to watch PJMs catch the company and create a stink. It's almost like a game. Don't take it too seriously. Plus, in the long run, who cares about charts? The quality of the music itself is far more important.

Once again I've droned on way too long, but hear me out. I think HYBE/BH is investing so heavily in JK because they have to. BTS isn't going to last forever, and if Jimin leaves, they've lost a huge revenue source. But please trust me when I say they have an uphill battle before them because JK doesn't currently have the artistry or charisma to enthrall the west the way Jimin does. Don't expect them to abandon ship anytime soon, though. And if he does make it big, so be it.

I really wish BTS fans, or at least PJMs, didn't feel so much hate for Min Hee Jin because there's a lot to learn about Bang Si-hyuk and HYBE when you follow the whole ADOR saga. There are some astute NewJeans fans out there who've sized up Bang PD so well and their observations help explain Jimin's treatment by the company. He breaks people down (the idols, staff, and fans) using the "death by a thousand cuts" method. Endless small transgressions and slights, that individually appear like no big deal and are therefore not taken seriously by the media or fans, but collectively are detrimental to careers and one's mental health.

You know what? If Jimin announced he's leaving the music industry after military service, I would say congratulations and thank you for all the amazing music and performances during your BTS and solo career. Have a wonderful life! While I don't think he'll do that, it's worth remembering that none of this is all that serious. Enjoy his music. Take a break from social media, because in the real world nobody cares about this stuff.

Anon, did you make to the end of this long post? Way to use the umlaut on naïvely!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Julie Tsirkin and Monica Alba at NBC News:

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will take a historic step toward easing federal restrictions on cannabis, with plans to announce an interim rule soon reclassifying the drug for the first time since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted more than 50 years ago, four sources with knowledge of the decision tell NBC News. The Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to approve an opinion by the Department of Health and Human Services that marijuana should be reclassified from the most strict Schedule I to the less stringent Schedule III, marking the first time that the U.S. government would acknowledge its potential medical benefits and begin studying them in earnest. Attorney General Merrick Garland will submit the rescheduling proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget as early as Tuesday afternoon, a source familiar with the timeline told NBC News. The Justice Department "continues to work on this rule," a Biden administration official said. "We have no further comment at this time."

What rescheduling means

Since 1971, marijuana has been in the same category as heroin, methamphetamines and LSD. Each substance under the Schedule I classification is defined as a drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule III substances include Tylenol with codeine, steroids and testosterone. By rescheduling cannabis, the drug would now be studied and researched to identify concrete medical benefits, opening the door for pharmaceutical companies to get involved with the sale and distribution of medical marijuana in states where it is legal.  For the $34 billion cannabis industry, the move would also eliminate significant tax burdens for businesses in states where the drug is legal, notably getting rid of the Internal Revenue Services code Section 280E which currently prohibits legal cannabis companies from deducting what would otherwise be ordinary business expenses. The Department of Justice’s rescheduling decision could also help shrink the black market which has thrived despite legalization in states like New York and California and has undercut legal markets that are fiercely regulated and highly taxed.

The Biden Administration announces its plans to reclassify marijuana from the stringent Schedule I to the much more lenient Schedule III, following recommendations from the HHS and the DEA.

[morlock-holmes]

Also, part of healthcare in America is gambling with your health.

"If you're relatively healthy, you might want to consider a low-premium, high deductible plan"

Meaning (generalizing from the marketplace prices I've seen) you'll save about $5,000 a year if you don't have any emergencies and lose about $9,000 if you do.

Don't worry, I'm sure nobody would choose these plans because they don't have an extra $5,000 a year to throw at monthly premiums even though they're likely to need serious medical care in the near future...

Not to mention, I'm sure nobody just decides to forgo the premiums at all and just not have insurance because of the cost...

[so-much-for-subtlety]

I have a high deductible health plan which means that my monthly premium is low, but I have to pay for healthcare myself until a certain limit where insurance kicks in (at first it will pay 70-80% and then at another limit it will pay 100%).

For the first time ever it looks like I’m going to hit either one or both of those limits this year, which kind of rationalizes me to get as much as possible out of my plan.

I have things I’ve been putting off for years that I think I’m gonna get seen this year, I’m gonna be like the million dollar man where they can rebuild me stronger! faster! better!

[toddlertimess]

I had to find a new therapist and psychiatrist since I got kicked off of Medicaid and the last place was a low-income non-profit organization. Me and the therapist are still feeling each other out. I’m like 3-4 sessions in. But I love my psychiatrist, she’s fucking awesome. Anyways, I just started on Cymbalta today. I’ve been on a ton of different anti-depressants and only one has ever worked in the past. So we’ll see. I never have high hopes for these kinds of things.

I am also paying 1500 dollars off for Cayden’s dental surgery because our Medicaid ended the day before his surgery. I fought with them tooth and nail to get it back since I was only working one job at the time but ultimately I gave up. He has health insurance now. A very nice, low deductible plan that I (and I alone) pay for monthly. I checked that his pediatrician was in network beforehand because that’s obvs important. He hasn’t had to use it until yesterday when he slammed his finger in the door and went to urgent care. Contusion, no fractures. Anyways I didn’t have his health insurance card on me at the time so I called them today to give them the information. They’re fucking out of network!! Like howwwww!?! This is a major health insurance plan! Anyways so that’s another fucking bill.

C has a dental appointment on 6/5 and I’m low key scared to face them in person. Are they gunna see a note in his chart and then act differently? It was a whole fiasco. They were supposed to automatically take the money out but they didn’t. They were going to send me to collections. I had to fight with the office manager. So ya. I was in the right in the end. I signed a bunch of paperwork obviously that they couldn’t locate at first. As I’m trying this up I’m like do I really care if they treat us any differently? We’ll just go somewhere else. Which is what I thought when this whole thing went down. But Cayden really loves it there so I’m giving this appointment a chance.

Ok that was a really long post about the most boring of things. But like who else am I going to tell about all of that?